My love of music has been lifelong. Among my earliest memories are the sounds of the classical recordings my mother would play each night as I was put to bed. A few years later the guitar became my best friend and I've not been a single day without one since.

See Scott working on this bass and hear his composition, Pawley's Island Rag.
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G. Scott Kinsey, Luthier, Artist Statement

 

 

 

Scott Kinsey at work on a 1962 Fender Precision bass. Repair and restoration requires having respect for the character of a well-loved, well-used instrument.

I learned early on that guitars and, in fact, all stringed instruments are like people in a myriad of ways. They are unique, idiosyncratic, moody, charming; the list is endless. They also experience some days that are better than others and the fact is they, like we, are sometimes sick or injured and require help. This realization, along with a simple, deep love of the instruments themselves, led to my steadily growing interest in repair and restoration.

In 1980, I was fortunate to secure a traditional apprenticeship with Randy Wood, an icon in the world of instrument making and repairing, to whom I will be forever grateful for four years of invaluable guidance. It was in his shop that I constructed my first guitar. The skills I developed working in Randy's shop led to a position on the repair staff of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee, where I was in the daily company of some of America's most brilliant luthiers including Kim Walker, Paul McGill, John Hedgecoth, and George Bradfute. It was a time of intense growth and invention; a Mecca for the free exchange of ideas. While there, I was privileged to work on a vast array of very fine instruments, specializing in Martin and Gibson guitars as well as instruments of the violin family. Additionally I provided repair and maintenance for instruments played by leading professionals. During the nine years I lived in Nashville I also worked regularly as a musician performing live and in the recording studio. Over the years of my career I have been fortunate to participate in numerous workshops studying with William Salchow, George Rubino, Lynn Hannings, Arnold Bone, and Robert S. Cooper.
 
I have spent the better part of my life pursuing the two disciplines of making music and lutherie. Though separate and individual, they are connected at the heart and spirit and, in my personal experience, each has supported and furthered the other. The level of expertise I have achieved in my practice of lutherie could never have been attained without the benefit of many years spent playing these tools of music making.

—G. Scott Kinsey, Luthier
 

 

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